Agriculture: Eggs

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 16 January (WA 111-2), whether tests on eggs imported from the European Union with a producer code 3 mark indicating production by hens in enriched cages have revealed any batches produced by hens in conventional cages and marked with an incorrect code in breach of marketing rules; and what action they expect the contacted competent authority in the member state of origin to take if that state has already failed to implement the welfare of laying hens directive.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To date, Defra has not found any class A eggs from production sites still using conventional cages entering the UK market. Batches which have been examined, using ultra violet light analysis, have so far shown marks which are consistent with legal enriched cage production.
	If we suspected that imported eggs being marketed as class A were from a conventional cage, we would contact the relevant competent authority for confirmation of whether the eggs were compliant or not. The UK's enforcement strategy is set out in the written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2011.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 14 February (HL15261), what is the cost of embedding RAF air crew in a variety of allied forces.

Lord De Mauley: The approximate cost of the 33 RAF aircrew serving overseas as part of the Seedcorn initiative is £2.1 million for financial year 2011-12. Taking into account overseas allowances and travel and subsistence costs the total bill is £3.25 million. Much of this cost would be present in the budget in another form if the personnel were undertaking other roles.

Armed Forces: Fuel Resources

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the Royal Air Force's ordinary non-operational budget for fuel, oils and lubricants; and what steps they are taking to improve the efficiency of consumption.

Lord De Mauley: The RAF does not record separate budgets for the operational and non-operational use of fuels, oils and lubricants for non-deployed aircraft; budgets are set based upon the planned activities, including standing operational commitments, in order to meet defence tasks. The budgeted costs for financial year 2011-12, which includes diesel for ground vehicles, heating oil, aviation fuel and various other oils and lubricants, is approximately £212 million.
	In all its activities the RAF aims to make the most effective use of its fuel resources. Examples include the introduction of more fuel efficient aircraft, the increased use of synthetic training as well as ongoing investigations into other methods to improve fuel efficiency.

Aviation: Air Traffic

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current air traffic capacity at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham International and Luton airports; and how much additional capacity is available within current policies or permissions.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport's UK Aviation Forecasts 2011 provide an assessment of how activity at UK airports and the associated CO2 emissions are likely to change into the future, given existing policy commitments.
	The 2011 forecasts made assumptions about both terminal and runway capacities at airports. These are based upon a maximum use scenario where no new runways are built in the UK but, where there is no explicit planning prohibition, most airports develop as necessary in the medium term to utilise their current potential runway capacity.
	Details of the capacity assumptions used are available in table 2.6 of the published report, available here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/uk-aviation-forecasts-2011.

Aviation: Youth Movements

Baroness Gibson of Market Rasen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more young people to become involved with organisations such as the Air Cadets, Air Scouts and Air League.

Lord De Mauley: The RAF, and the Air Cadet Organisation in particular, engage with young people on a number of levels and are committed to their development. Air Cadets maintain a visible uniformed presence at air shows and other local events with display stands to inform the public of the activities cadets undertake. Additionally, the Air Cadet Organisation has its own websites and magazine with details of how to join and is currently supporting the Mayor of London's "You Matter" initiative, which offers opportunities for young people to join volunteer uniformed cadet organisations across London.
	Although the Air Scouts and Air League are civilian bodies, the RAF works closely with them to nurture and support an interest in aviation amongst young people through a network of Air Cadet Liaison Officers based at each of its stations.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what other methods of killing badgers they considered prior to agreeing on using shooting for the badger culling pilots; and whether they undertook impact assessments for the different methods.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Cage-trapping and shooting and controlled shooting were the only culling methods considered in the Government's impact assessment (published in December 2011), as these are the only culling methods for which sufficient evidence of humaneness and effectiveness is available.
	Alternative culling methods, including snares, gassing, foaming and poisoning are not considered suitable. A number of reports on these other control methods are available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchiyes.gov.uk/20081107201922/http:/defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/badgers.htm.

Broadcasting: Satellite Transmissions

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made at the International Telecommunication Union World Radio conference currently taking place in Geneva in reaching a resolution on the issue of the jamming of satellite transmissions.

Baroness Rawlings: I am pleased to report that significant progress is being made at the ITU World Radio Conference (WRC) in Geneva on the issue of jamming of satellite transmissions. The UK delegation has been prominent in efforts that have led to a proposal to amend the radio regulations of the ITU so as to clarify the obligations on member states to ensure that any transmission that might cause interference with transmissions of another administration are prohibited. This text is subject to agreement by the plenary of the conference.

China: Yuan

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have expressed concerns regarding, or are supportive of, a new Chinese Yuan currency reserve.

Lord Sassoon: The UK supports the greater use of the Chinese Yuan in international trade and financial transactions and its inclusion in due time in the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Right basket.

Crime: Motoring Convictions

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made through the British-Irish Council to establish the mutual recognition of penalty points for motoring offences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Earl Attlee: Work to establish the mutual recognition of penalty points for motoring offences between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is a devolved matter and is being pursued by both respective Governments through the North-South Ministerial Council.

Cycling

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Earl Attlee on 7 February, whether any procedures are in place to ensure that the additional funding for the promotion of cycling will be spent in addition to what is currently in local authority plans.

Earl Attlee: The £15 million growth package for cycling and walking announced on 7 February will be provided to Sustrans and the Cycle Rail Working Group (CRWG) to allocate to projects which will promote economic growth and cut carbon. This is in addition to any funding already assigned by local authorities and train operating companies to sustainable transport initiatives.
	We have asked Sustrans and CRWG to develop projects which complement existing investment and attract funding from other sources, and we will be taking a final decision on their proposed projects in March.

Cyclists: Penalties

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 9 February (WA 89), whether they will increase the amount of the penalty for cycling on the footway to bring it in line with increases in penalties for other traffic penalties since 2010.

Earl Attlee: The Government announced plans in their Strategic Framework for Road Safety (May 2011) to increase road traffic fixed penalty notices from £60 to between £80-£100 to bring this in line with other penalty notices and avoid the risk of trivialising these offences. We intend to consult on this in the summer.
	We are considering the scope of offences covered by this, including whether this should cover other moving traffic offences, such as cycling on the footway.

Dogs: Strays

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to deal with the problem of stray dogs.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I am pleased to say that we are close to finalising a package of measures to tackle irresponsible dog owners, including stray dogs. We will be announcing these measures very shortly.

Enterprise Zones

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government who set the boundaries of the enterprise zone in Great Yarmouth; and which people or organisations were consulted beforehand.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs are forecast to be created by the Great Yarmouth enterprise zone by 2015; and how many of those will result from businesses which committed to moving into the proposed zone before it was established.

Baroness Hanham: The boundaries of the enterprise zone sites in Great Yarmouth were set by the New Anglia local enterprise partnership. The local enterprise partnership consulted local land owners and local communities in setting these boundaries. These boundaries have been confirmed by the Government in awarding enterprise zone status for Great Yarmouth.
	The New Anglia local enterprise partnership has estimated that the enterprise zone sites in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft could create approximately 1,380 jobs by 2015. This estimate is in addition to jobs that would have been created in the zone anyway.

EU: Sport

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to contribute to the work of the European Council Expert Group Sport Health and Participation in order to provide recommendations on how to promote health-enhancing physical activity and participation in grassroots sport.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government are fully involved with the work of the European Council Expert Group on Sport, Health and Participation. Experts from Sport England and Sport Scotland represent the UK in this group.

Forestry Commission

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual cost per member of the United Kingdom population of the work of the Forestry Commission.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Forestry is a devolved matter and the funding of the Forestry Commission in Scotland and Wales is a matter for the respective administrations. The Forestry Commission does not operate in Northern Ireland. Therefore we cannot provide a figure for the annual cost per member of the United Kingdom of the work of the Forestry Commission.

Forestry Commission

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Forestry Commission about the consequences of recent cuts to the Commission's budget for its work on (1) wildlife, with particular reference to the Lake District and Kielder Forest, (2) the return to the Lake District and Kielder Forest of osprey and red kites and the preservation of red squirrels in the same area, (3) control of tree disease including in larch trees, and (4) the Commission's education services; and what was the outcome of those discussions.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: No specific discussions have taken place. The Forestry Commission, as a non-ministerial department, is responsible for managing within its budget and is now implementing its plans to achieve the level of reform required to realise necessary savings. Whilst achieving this, it recognises the need to protect spending on high priority areas such as biosecurity and plant health.
	The Forestry Commission recognises it may need to adapt its plans following the Government's response to the recommendations of the Independent Panel on Forestry and has structured its proposals in such a way that this flexibility can be achieved. The panel's recommendations are expected later this year and until they have been considered by the Government, the Forestry Commission must continue with the restructuring in order to achieve the financial savings required over the next four years.

Forests: Sport and Recreation

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have identified ways in which the Forestry Commission can increase opportunities for sport and recreation in woodlands.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We established an independent panel to consider forestry policy in England, which will report with its findings later this year. The panel will advise on the future direction of forestry and woodland policy in England, on the role of the Forestry Commission, and on the role of the public forest estate.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list any individuals in the Department for Transport or nominated by the Department for Transport or Ministers in that department who hold posts remunerated on the basis of at least 100 days' work per annum and who are paid through a company for their services, with the pay band in each case.

Earl Attlee: The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. Ministers are paid through the departmental payroll.

Government Departments: Staff

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds and by whose authority the police may arrest a civil servant employed by the Home Office on that department's property, or remove papers and property from that civil servant's office.

Lord Henley: Police powers of arrest, search and seizure, as set out in Parts II and III of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, apply to all individuals, including civil servants, and to all Home Office premises.
	Should the police wish to arrest an individual, or seize items, on Home Office premises, the usual practice would be for them to seek prior consent from the Departmental Security Unit.

Greece: Defence Procurement

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the United Kingdom's commitments to supporting Greece in the event of a Greek loan default, and of the current restrictions on United Kingdom defence spending and related redundancies, what representations they have made to the government of Greece regarding their recent purchases of 400 Abrams tanks and other recent Greek defence procurement.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We have a regular dialogue with Greece on a wide range of defence matters, but have made no representations about the procurement of Abrams tanks or any other recent defence procurement. The UK has made clear that any hypothetical future financial support for Greece would only be made through the International Monetary Fund.

House of Lords: Appointments Commission

Viscount Falkland: To ask Her Majesty's Government for how long papers relating to the consideration of names before the House of Lords Appointments Commission are kept; and whether they ultimately form part of the National Archives.

Baroness Verma: Papers relating to the consideration of names before the House of Lords Appointments Commission are managed in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Public Records Act 1958.

Migration Advisory Committee

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the annual fees payable to members of the Migration Advisory Committee, and for what period of work in a week.

Lord Henley: The chair of the Migration Advisory Committee is paid an annual remuneration of £41,943 for two days' work each week.
	Other committee members are paid remuneration of £275 per day, for two days' work each month.

National Commissioning Board

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the appointment process for the selection of the national directors of the National Commissioning Board Authority.

Earl Howe: I have written to the noble Baroness on this matter, which she raised during report stage of the Health and Social Care Bill, and have placed a copy of my letter in the Library.

NHS: Management Consultants

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 13 February (Official Report, col. 554-7), what questions they have asked, or intend to ask, of McKinsey & Company regarding their involvement in the design and implementation of health reforms; and whether they will publish the answers to such questions.

Earl Howe: McKinsey & Company has undertaken consultancy work for the department to support the work of the NHS Leadership Team in developing the plans for managing change. McKinsey has also provided external expertise to the department, including analytical support.
	The Government believe that the relationship between the department and McKinsey has been governed throughout by the department's rules on corporate governance and by McKinsey's policies on client confidentiality. The amount of funding spent on consultancy with McKinsey has fallen dramatically under the current Government. In the month of May 2010, the department paid McKinsey £5.2 million for consultancy commissioned and completed under the last administration. Under the new administration, the value of new consultancy commissions from the department to McKinsey for the remainder of the financial year 2010-11 was only £139,000.

Political Groups: Islamist Organisations

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the African Islamist organisation Haram is known to have representatives in, or to have operated within, the United Kingdom.

Lord Henley: The UK Government assess that Boko Haram represents a threat primarily in Northern and Central regions of Nigeria. In relation to any presence by the organisation in the UK, I am unable to comment on intelligence matters.

Public Prayer

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the ruling in the High Court concerning the saying of prayers at the start of meetings of Bideford Council, whether they intend to take measures to ensure public bodies which wish to allow members to participate in public prayer may do so.

Baroness Hanham: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Statement that I laid on 27 February 2012, made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Eric Pickles), (Official Report, col. WS 71).

Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has refused permission for a traditional Maori war boat to take part in the Diamond Jubilee procession; and whether any other boats have been banned for safety reasons.

Earl Attlee: The selection of vessels to participate in the Diamond Jubilee pageant has been undertaken by a Flotilla Planning Group which operates as a sub group to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation. The sub group includes representatives from the pageant organisers, the Port of London Authority and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
	The group has operated a scrutiny process to consider all applications for participation based on a range of criteria including, with safety as the top priority; the suitability of each vessel from the point of view of freeboard, safety equipment and standards, the number of persons onboard and the experience and qualifications of the skipper.
	A traditional Maori war canoe (Waka) has initially been refused permission to participate in the Diamond Jubilee pageant. The reason for refusal is that the scrutinizers considered the proposed occupancy level of the boat to be too high, taking into account the need for emergency response and rescue services on the tidal Thames. A number of other boats have had their applications to participate in the Diamond Jubilee pageant turned down for a variety of reasons, including safety.
	However, I understand that the pageant organisers are now in discussion with the New Zealand High Commission and New Zealand Government representatives, with the object of reaching an agreement for the Waka to participate in the pageant. This is likely to require the occupancy of the vessel to be reduced to a level that is considered to be safe.

Railways: Brighton Main Line

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the closure of the Brighton main line at Balcombe tunnel on 10, 11 and 12 February, what assessment they have made of the number of passengers whose journeys were delayed or disrupted; and whether a reopened Lewes-Uckfield line could have mitigated the effect of that closure.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the closure of the Brighton main line on 10, 11 and 12 February, whether they intend to have discussions with East Sussex County Council regarding its opposition to reopening the Lewes-Uckfield line as an alternative rail route.

Earl Attlee: The Government have not made an assessment of the number of passengers whose journeys were delayed or disrupted on 10, 11 and 12 February following the closure of the Brighton main line at Balcombe tunnel. In a study for East Sussex Council and other local authorities in 2008 Network Rail assessed the case for re-opening the Lewes-Uckfield line taking account of its potential as an alternative route. The study concluded that there was no economic case for re-opening the line. It is for East Sussex County Council to determine its policy towards reopening the line taking account of relevant evidence and local priorities.

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, if fares are not collected on a franchised train service and the revenue is in consequence reduced, the loss is borne by the franchisee or is a loss to public funds.

Earl Attlee: A financial loss due to the failure to collect rail fares is borne by the franchisee. In those franchises in revenue support under the cap and collar mechanism, the taxpayer is also impacted by failure to collect fares.

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government who monitors and enforces the price of tickets in the train fares basket.

Earl Attlee: Officials in the Department for Transport monitor and enforce the price of regulated fares in train fares baskets to ensure train operators comply with fares regulation.

Railways: Intercity Express Trains

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are their current plans for the deployment of the new Intercity Express trains; where they will be deployed; how long they are; and how many are electric, and how many are bi-modal.

Earl Attlee: In the first instance the trains will be deployed on the Great Western and then the East Coast Main Lines.
	The Department for Transport is currently concluding commercial discussions with Agility Trains, and the precise number, length and type of vehicles remains under negotiation as the contract moves towards financial close.

Railways: Intercity Express Trains

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether bidders for the Great Western franchise are obliged to accept the new Intercity Express trains.

Earl Attlee: The contract for the Intercity Express Programme project assumes that bidders will use these trains.

Railways: Intercity Express Trains

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the costs incurred by them or their consultants in procuring the new Intercity Express trains.

Earl Attlee: Up to December 2011 the department has incurred the following costs on employing consultants and advisers in procuring the new Intercity Express trains.
	
		
			  Costs incurred to May 2010 Cost incurred June 2010 to end of December 2011 
			 Barkers HR Advertising 0.016 0 
			 Capita Resourcing 0.4 0.01 
			 Clifford Chance 0.002 0 
			 Congress Centre 0.012 0 
			 Ernst and Young 0.2 0 
			 First Class Partnership 0.006 0 
			 Freshfields 5.6 1.53 
			 Jim Standen Associates 0.01 0 
			 Manpower - 0.22 
			 Mott MacDonald 11.8 0.80 
			 MWB Business Exchange 0.002 0 
			 Nichols 3.1 0.11 
			 PWC 2.5 0.35 
			 QCs - 0.01 
			 Reed Employment 0.06 0.03 
			 SDG 1.2 0.13 
			 Willis 0.01 0.01 
			 Total 24.91m 3.20m

Railways: Network Rail

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they can remove directors of Network Rail from the board.

Earl Attlee: No. Network Rail is a private company. Only in the event of fundamental financial failure, does the Secretary of State for Transport, as special member, have the option to dismiss all other members of the company, becoming its sole owner with full power over board appointments.

Railways: Network Rail

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Network Rail will be included in their review of public sector bonuses announced on 13 February.

Earl Attlee: Network Rail is a private sector company. It is included in the Cabinet Office's audit of remuneration arrangements because of its heavy reliance on public funding.

Railways: Overcrowding

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 6 February (WA 30), for each passenger franchise in 2009, 2010 and 2011, (1) how many overcrowding incidents led to (a) trains being suspended, and (b) serious delays; (2) how many passenger complaints of overcrowding were made; and (3) on how many occasions the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was found to have been breached.

Earl Attlee: (1)(a) and (b) The Department for Transport does not hold this information.
	(2) The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) publishes statistics for complaints made to train operators as part of its National Rail Trends Yearbook but these do not include a specific category for overcrowding.
	(3) The Department for Transport does not hold this information. ORR is the national health and safety authority for Britain's railways.

Railways: Overcrowding

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which 10 sections of Network Rail's infrastructure have seen the most complaints about overcrowding.

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Office of Rail Regulation publishes statistics for complaints made to train operators (not by Network Rail region) as part of its National Rail Trends Yearbook but these do not include a specific category for overcrowding.

Railways: Overcrowding

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government by what date they anticipate railway capacity to equal passenger demand.

Earl Attlee: The Government are committed to enhancing railway capacity to meet passenger demand where it represents value for money for the taxpayer and is affordable.
	Major investment is already taking place which will deliver additional capacity, and the High Level Output Specification to be published in July 2012 will set out the Government's proposals for the period from 2014 to 2019.
	In the longer term, High Speed 2 will deliver a step change both in capacity and connectivity on Britain's major north-south routes.

Railways: West Coast Franchise

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Earl Attlee on 23 January (WS 54-5), how the new franchisee will be able to respond effectively to changing passenger demand over a 15 year period, if daily station stops can be reduced by up to 10 per cent but the total number of station stops in a week must remain constant.

Earl Attlee: In the West Coast franchise, the Department for Transport is specifying the minimum weekly quantum of calls at each station served along with a minimum daily quantum.
	Only two service groups will exist: London-North and Birmingham-Scotland enabling bidders to decide on the most appropriate calling patterns for each individual train service.
	Bidders are likely to consider issues such as interconnectivity in developing their proposals. The flexibility of the TSR will allow the franchisee more freedom in reacting to demand changes without seeking the department's authorisation.
	An extra 4 Pendolino 11 car trains will be available to the new franchisee. Bidders will be free to propose additions to the TSR based on any additional paths they may believe are available and the most desirable use of their rolling stock.

Roads: Traffic Lights

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that all sensitive and potentially dangerous road junctions in the United Kingdom are adequately served by traffic lights.

Earl Attlee: It is for local highway authorities to monitor and assess junctions on their road networks and to decide the most appropriate traffic management measures for each junction.
	The department does not hold information on numbers of signal junctions, or the reasons why they have been signalised.
	However, the department provides advice to local authorities on a range of traffic management measures, through publications such as Local Transport Notes and Traffic Advisory Leaflets. These are available from the department's website at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/tpm/.

Sport: Gambling

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that the governing bodies of sports should have a direct involvement in determining the types of bets that may be facilitated during the Olympic and Paralympic Games; and whether it is their intention to incorporate such bets into future memoranda of understanding between the governing bodies of sports and betting organisations.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: It is the Government's view that the greatest risk posed by betting on sporting events, including the Olympic and Paralympic Games, comes from bets placed overseas, often with illegal betting operators and not from the legitimate, regulated sector that operates in the UK market. The Government's independent adviser on gambling, the Gambling Commission, has the power to restrict the type of bets offered by operators licensed in Great Britain. However, based on the available evidence, it does not consider such intrusive methods are warranted at this time.

Sport: Gambling

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to alter the Gambling Commission's regulation of betting to the point of consumption; and, if so, when.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: Her Majesty's Government announced to Parliament on 14 July 2011 that they are committed to requiring overseas-based remote gambling operators that interact with British consumers to be licensed by the Gambling Commission. The Government will bring forward proposals for Parliament's consideration as soon as the legislative programme allows.

Sport: Gambling

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to review the definition of cheating in sport under the Gambling Act 2005.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 9 February (Official Report, col. 423), when they expect to announce the conclusions of their assessment of the range of offences related to sports-betting integrity intended to ensure that they have the suite of powers necessary to fully combat the threat to such integrity.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The International Olympic Committee is clear we already meet the required standard to counter risks to sports-betting integrity. The Gambling Commission agree with that assessment, however, we will jointly consult interested bodies to ensure there are no critical gaps in the offence provisions, including the offence of cheating. We expect this exercise to reach a conclusion before Easter.

Sport: Matching Fixing

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, through the whole sport plans, they intend to make financial support available to enable governing bodies of sports to develop codes of conduct relating to match-fixing and suspicious betting, and for the development and introduction of education programmes on the awareness of competitors and officials of the risks posed and the methods used by fixers to involve athletes.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: There are no plans to make financial support available through whole sport plans. However, the Sports Betting Group, which was set up following the recommendations in the Parry report, is developing a Code of Practice for national governing bodies (NGBs) which it hopes to roll out over the coming months. The code will provide practical assistance to NGBs to help them develop an appropriate and robust integrity infrastructure suitable for their particular sport, including sound rules and regulations and education programmes for participants.

Sport: Matching Fixing

Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish a legal framework in the European Union to allow the prosecution and punishment of those found guilty of sporting match fixing.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The European Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the European Union Work Plan for Sport (2011-14) in May 2011. This identified the integrity of sport, in particular the fight against match fixing, as a priority theme for EU level co-operation. The UK supported the adoption of European Council conclusions on combating match-fixing in November 2011. The EU Expert Group on Good Governance in Sport has been asked to develop recommendations to "Develop a European dimension of the integrity of sport with the initial focus on the fight against match-fixing" by mid-2012. The focus of the expert group's work will be to collect evidence on existing best practices at national level and to make suggestions on concrete steps to be undertaken at EU level on what can be done to improve the situation.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

The Earl of Selborne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual energy requirement to pump out the proposed 25-kilometre Thames Tideway Tunnel.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Defra's "Costs and Benefits of the Thames Tunnel" published in November 2011 included some assessment of the costs associated with operating the Thames Tunnel (incorporating energy costs). Although not separately identified, these were estimated to be approximately £6.5 million per annum once the proposed tunnel became operational. However, a detailed assessment of the energy requirements associated with the operation of the tunnel would be made by Thames Water and this would form part of a future Thames Water application for development consent for the proposed tunnel.

Thames Tideway Tunnel

The Earl of Selborne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the energy which is likely to be generated from the additional sewage sludge captured at Beckton Sewage Treatment Works if the 25-kilometre Thames Tideway Tunnel is constructed.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Defra's Costs and Benefits of the Thames Tunnel, published in November 2011, noted that there would be benefits arising from the energy generated from extra volumes of sewage sludge captured at Beckton Sewage Treatment Works (otherwise lost through sewer overflows) once the proposed Thames Tunnel is completed, but did not attach a monetary value to these benefits. Thames Water is planning to install additional facilities at Beckton to capture the energy generated from the sewage sludge and an assessment of these benefits is expected to form part of a future Thames Water application for development consent for the proposed tunnel.

Transport: Taxis

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Transport for London and the Greater London Authority about ensuring that the market for taxi vehicles in London is open to all competitors.

Earl Attlee: Responsibility for taxi licensing in London rests with Transport for London (TfL). As this is not subject to review by the Department for Transport (DfT) we have not had any discussions with them about their policy on which vehicles to license. The DfT issues Best Practice Guidance to assist all taxi licensing authorities. That guidance suggests that licensing authorities should license a range of vehicles as taxis. Ultimately though, it is up to TfL to decide which vehicles they are prepared to license as taxis in London.

UN: Rio+20

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what input the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has had to the preparation of the outcome document of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The zero draft outcome document for Rio+20 was prepared by the UN Secretariat for the conference. It reflects submissions from nation states, political groups, businesses, non-governmental organisations and others.
	The UK submitted its input to the UN both as part of the EU's submissions and individually. As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is leading the UK Government's preparations for Rio+20, this process was led by Defra, working closely with other government departments.
	Negotiations on the zero draft have begun and will continue until the conference in June. UK officials, including those from Defra, will continue to be active in discussions.

UN: Rio+20

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will focus on the link between population dynamics and sustainable development in the lead up to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will use the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 to promote the connection between sustainable development and family planning.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Rio+20 is an opportunity to agree ambitious action to enable us to meet the challenge of global population growth and rising income levels, while ensuring that natural resources and ecosystems are used sustainably for our long term prosperity. The UN Secretary General's recent High Level Panel report on global sustainability highlighted the challenge of sustainably providing for almost 9 billion people by 2040, combined with an estimated 3 billion increase in the number of middle-class consumers over the next 20 years.
	The Government will call for Rio+20 to promote access to effective contraceptive methods; universal access to reproductive health and family planning advice; empowerment of women; and investment in education, particularly of disadvantaged children and youth, girls and young women.
	Beyond Rio+20, the Government, through the Department for International Development, have committed to ensuring that at least 10 million more women in developing countries have access to modern methods of family planning by 2015.

Vehicles: Semi-trailers

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not commission a specific study on the potential risks to cyclists resulting from the use of longer semi-trailers prior to introducing the 10-year trial of such vehicles.

Earl Attlee: While the very thorough research undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory into the potential introduction of longer semi-trailers did not specifically cite the increased risk to cyclists as a subset of vulnerable road users, it studied the effect of length in accidents, as reported in the technical report Specification, Performance and Safety (Author-TRL & Cambridge University). This report also carefully considered the impact on tail swing and on blind spots.
	The research indicates that there should be no detectable difference in safety between existing trailers and the proposed longer trailers. The purpose of the operational trials is to enable us to verify the study's conclusions about manoeuvrability, compatibility with existing infrastructure and road safety.

Vehicles: Semi-trailers

Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to commission the Transport Research Laboratory to research the potential specific risks posed to cyclists by longer semi-trailers; and whether, pending such research, they will suspend the 10-year trial of longer semi-trailers.

Earl Attlee: No. Very thorough research has already been undertaken by the Transport Research Laboratory on the risk to all road users, including cyclists. This indicates that there should be no detectable difference in safety between existing trailers and the proposed longer trailers. The purpose of the operational trials is to enable us to verify the study's conclusions about manoeuvrability, compatibility with existing infrastructure and road safety as well as the economic impact.

Zimbabwe

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they provide for the support of primary school education in Zimbabwe.

Baroness Northover: Her Majesty's Government, through the Department for International Development (DfID), provided $9.5 million (around £6 million) to the first phase of the Education Transition Fund in Zimbabwe in 2010-11 which supported both primary and secondary school education through, for example, the provision of textbooks and learning materials to 5,670 primary school schools.
	DfID expects to provide at least a further £36 million to the education sector by 2015, a majority of which will benefit the primary school sector.

Zimbabwe

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they provide for the support of secondary school education in Zimbabwe.

Baroness Northover: Her Majesty's Government, through the Department for International Development, provided $9.5 million (around £6 million) to the first phase of the Education Transition Fund in Zimbabwe in 2010-11 which supported both primary and secondary school education through, for example, the provision of textbooks and learning materials to 2,333 secondary schools. DfID expects to provide at least a further £36 million to the education sector by 2015, a significant proportion of which will benefit the secondary school sector.

Zimbabwe

The Duke of Montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of children in Zimbabwe currently attending primary schools; and what proportion of those eligible to attend primary schools this represents.

Baroness Northover: The latest fully reliable information is about three years old. But we believe that around 2.7 million children attended formal primary schools in 2011 and that this represents at least 90 per cent of those eligible to attend. Support from the UK and other donors over the next three years should help to increase those numbers and also to improve the quality of statistical information about the education sector in Zimbabwe.